Bavaria's state museum of archaeology by the Englischer Garten: 15,000 finds from the Stone Age to the modern era, in a fully redesigned presentation since 2024.
September 18, 2026 – August 29, 2027
Major international exhibition with around 600 originals, replicas and media installations about the famous stone circle in southern England and the people who built it.
March 27, 2026 – November 15, 2026
Exhibition at the branch museum Burg Grünwald about Karl Valentin's fondness for knights and castles, featuring objects from his estate.
The collection was founded on October 14, 1885, as the Prehistoric Collection of the Bavarian state. For many years its holdings were housed in the Alte Akademie in Munich's city center, until the building was destroyed by bombing in 1944. For the next three decades the finds were kept in storage at the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum and were barely accessible to the public.
In 1976 the museum moved into a purpose-built home on Lerchenfeldstraße at the edge of the Englischer Garten. Designed by architects Helmut von Werz, Johann-Christoph Ottow, Erhard Bachmann and Michel Marx, the cube-shaped building is defined by its rust-red Corten steel facade and is now regarded as a notable example of postwar modernism.
In 2016 the museum closed for a comprehensive renovation, remodeling and expansion that cost around 66 million euros. It reopened on April 16, 2024, after eight years, with an entirely reconceived permanent exhibition, a café with a rooftop terrace and new educational programs.
The exhibition presents more than 15,000 objects across some 1,200 square meters: the first floor explains the methods and foundations of archaeology, while the upper floor follows basic themes of human life such as housing, food, faith and identity across the ages. The collection is divided into prehistory, the Roman period, the Middle Ages and the modern era, finds from outside Bavaria, and numismatics; in addition, several branch museums are spread across Bavaria, including Burg Grünwald.
| Adults | €7 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5Seniors 65 and over, students, groups of 15 or more, people with severe disabilities, participants in voluntary social or ecological service (FSJ/FÖJ), and others |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and teens under 18 free. |
| Seniors | €5Age 65 and over |
| Visitors with disabilities | €5Reduced admission for people with severe disabilities. |
| Students & apprentices | €5Archaeology students free. |
| Groups (15+ people) | €5 per personGroup tours (8–20 people) on request. |
| Sunday admission, permanent exhibition | €1Regular and reduced |
| Special exhibition "Stonehenge" | €8Reduced €5 |
| Combination ticket, permanent + special exhibition (Tue–Sat) | €10Reduced €6 |
| Combination ticket, permanent + special exhibition (Sun) | €9Reduced €5 |
| Annual pass | €45 |
Free admission for, among others, members of the friends' association, ICOM members, teachers accompanying school groups, and journalists. Tickets also available online.
Accessible; programs for blind, visually impaired and hearing-impaired visitors; accessible parking spaces in front of the entrance; stair lift to the rooftop terrace bar.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
Children and teens under 18 free. Scavenger hunt for children up to about age 8 (clipboards at the ticket desk), an AR game featuring Sisssi the snake, a drawing station for ages 3 and up, and smell, touch and puzzle stations in the permanent exhibition. Children's birthday parties can be booked through the MPZ.
Lehel · 5-min walk
U4/U5 to Lehel (approx. 5-minute walk); tram 16 and museum bus line 100 to Nationalmuseum/Haus der Kunst
Parking available
Only a few public parking spaces directly in front of the building, including two accessible parking spaces; the museum recommends arriving by public transport.
Café-bar SOLÂ with rooftop terrace (independently operated). Museum shop in the foyer. A limited number of lockers; no storage for large suitcases.
As far as we know, the museum does not rent out spaces for external events.
According to the museum, venue rental is not currently planned.
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Permitted for private use without tripod or flash. |
| Good to know | Media guide available at the ticket desk or on your smartphone. Public guided tours by the Münchner Volkshochschule on Sundays, plus regular curator-led tours. Group tours (8–20 people) by booking at buchung@archaeologie.bayern; school programs through the Museumspädagogisches Zentrum (MPZ). |
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